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The Role of Advertising in Today's Society
The Role of Advertising in Today's Society
The media significantly influence societal and individual perceptions of beauty, gender roles, and body image.
In today’s capitalist-driven world, advertising serves as a crucial economic engine and cultural tool.
Beyond promoting products and boosting profits, advertisements shape societal values, often reinforcing stereotypes and ideologies that can harm certain groups. This is particularly evident in fashion advertising, where brands like Calvin Klein and American Apparel have perpetuated gender stereotypes, emphasizing unrealistic beauty standards, objectifying individuals, and reinforcing toxic masculinity.
Ideal Beauty Standards
Advertising has a powerful influence on societal beauty ideals.
Both genders are pressured to conform to idealized body types, often to the detriment of their mental and physical health.
Women: ads often portray thin, young, tall women as the norm. This repeated exposure can lead to unrealistic self-expectations and negative body image (Heiss, 2011).
Men: typically shown as muscular and clean-shaven. These portrayals contribute to body dissatisfaction, dysphoria, and depression among men (Allen & Mulgrew, 2020).
Gender Stereotypes and Roles
Gender Stereotypes and Roles
Media, especially advertisements, perpetuate traditional gender roles. These portrayals reinforce societal expectations and limit opportunities, particularly for women, by shaping perceptions of capability and value (Grau & Zotos, 2016).
Women: often depicted as submissive, dependent, or weak.
Men: portrayed as strong, dominant, and independent (Allam, 2018).
Sexualization and Objectification
Sexualization and Objectification
The objectification of both genders is prevalent in advertising. This perpetuation of gender roles through sexualized portrayals reinforces societal biases.
Women: frequently presented as sexual objects, which diminishes self-esteem and reinforces submissive gender roles (Ward, 2003; Rollero, 2013).
Men: even if less common, the objectification of men also results in negative self-perception and reduced emotional well-being (Rollero, 2013).
The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA)
The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA)
A Landmark in the Pursuit of Gender Equality
The 1995 Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) marked a pivotal moment in addressing gender equality. Bringing together 189 nations and over 50,000 activists, it identified 12 key areas requiring action, including media representation and the portrayal of women.
Areas of Focus: topics included women’s health, poverty, education, violence, and representation in the media.
Progress: while strides have been made, the redistribution of power across social and political spheres remains a challenge (Allotey & Denton, 2020).
Strategic Objective J2
This project focuses on Strategic Objective J2, which aims to improve how women and men are represented in media. By examining decades of advertising, it highlights both progress and persistent issues in achieving equitable representation.
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